(Updated 28 November 2012) Here we shall present maps (list, details and sample of maps below) related to global water security that are useful for both analysis and delivery of products. As new maps are created and found, they will be added to the corresponding Pearltree #Watermaps. The Pearltree can be accessed, as for the energy security bibliography, by clicking on the Pearl on the right hand side of this paragraph, or in the embedded application below. You are welcome to share your findings by joining the team on Pearltree.

Maps are both necessary tools for analysis and crucial delivery visuals for our foresight and warning products. They constitute a category of delivery form, which can, furthermore, be combined with other categories to suit at best our needs.

The maps under copyrights that do not allow fair free use (C.C.) are filed at the bottom of the post.

National Intelligence Council (US), ODNI – 2012: Global Water Security Map

Map attached to the 2012 Global Water Security, an Intelligence Community Assessment

Aquastat (FAO) maps

AQUASTAT is FAO’s global information system on water and agriculture, developed by the Land and Water Division. The maps section “contains global maps with key data on water and agriculture. They can be consulted in an interactive way or downloaded as a PDF file.” Maps per country, region, river-basins, rivers.

India’s Central Water Commission, Ministry of Water Resources, Non-classified river basins of India  New Delhi, March 2012

“Compendium of important hydrological information on major basins in India. It provides updated site wise data for 12 non-classified basins that covers aspects such as location, drainage area, population, temperature, average runoff, seasonal water flow, historical water levels, average sediment load, water quality parameters and land use statistics. The statistics of year 2006-07 to 2009-10 are used as the base for the data mentioned in the book.” (India Water Portal, 2012).

MacDonald, et al. “Quantitative maps of groundwater resources in Africa,” 2012

“Quantitative, spatially explicit information on groundwater in Africa is required to characterize this resource in ways that can usefully inform strategies to adapt to growing water demand associated not only with population growth but also climate variability and change. Current continent-wide groundwater maps provide only qualitative information on the likely extent of aquifers (Struckmeier and Richts 2008, Seguin 2008, MacDonald and Calow 2009). As such, key quantitative information outlining the dimensions of the continent’s groundwater resources have, to date, remained unresolved. We address this significant knowledge gap by developing the first quantitative maps of groundwater storage and potential groundwater yields in Africa.” (Introduction).

Worldmapper – Water maps

“Worldmapper is a collection of world maps, where territories are re-sized on each map according to the subject of interest.” (Worldmapper)

Twenty maps are filed under the water section. Data files can be downloaded.

 

World Resource Institute, Water Risk Atlas, 2012

Very useful and beautiful mapping application, with an export function allowing to draw global maps according to various parameters and two river basins, the Yellow river basin and the Orange-Senqu river basin.

Codi Yeager-Kozacek, Interbasin Water Transfers in Iran, Circle of Blue, March 2012

“The map shows Iran’s current water transport projects by volume and location, as well as what the water is being used for.”

Maplecroft’s water stress index map

It is a final product as it displays the ranking of countries according to a water stress index they have created and calculated “by evaluating renewable supplies of water from precipitation, streams and rivers against domestic, industrial and agricultural use. The Water Stress Index also includes an interactive sub-national map, which has been developed to pinpoint areas of extreme water stress that pose significant risks to populations and business operations at a local level right down to 10km² .” (Maplecroft, 2012).

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Detailed or further references

Nate Berg, Mapping Global Water Stress, The Atlantic cities, May 21, 2012.

Circle of Blue.

India Water Portal.

A M MacDonald, H C Bonsor, B E ́ O ́ Dochartaigh and R G Taylor, “Quantitative maps of groundwater resources in Africa,” Environ. Res. Lett. 7 (2012) 024009, doi:10.1088/1748-9326/7/2/024009.

Maplecroft, “Unsustainable water use threatens agriculture, business and populations in China, India, Pakistan, South Africa and USA – global study,” 10/05/2012